The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 caught our attention for a variety of things, chief among them being its distinction of having the most powerful engine a Camaro has ever had.

Staying true to the fact that they have become the official supplier for ECU upgrades, aero kits, brakes, exhaust systems, and a few other modifications for Saab models on the US market,

Long before taking the keys to our Azurite Blue Pearl 2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited (our 2010 Sport/Utility Vehicle of the Year, by the way), we decided to forgo ordering its 3.6R flat-six sibling packing 256 ponies and a traditional five-speed auto. At first, it was a move that had some staffers wishing for more Boxer might.
Once we received the Outback, doubters quickly changed their opinions. Entries praising the crossover's 2.5-liter flat-four and its smooth Lineartronic continuously variable transmission poured into our logbook after only a few days in the fleet. "The four-banger has plenty of grunt," wrote associate online editor Kirill Ougarov. With steering-wheel-mounted paddles allowing drivers to select predetermined gear "ratios," digging for extra highway speed or engine braking rpm was as simple as a quick tug on the left paddle.

We're driving a 2007 Cadillac Escalade, which means we've enjoyed a week's worth of middle-aged office guys asking us about Nelly, Snoop and other hip-hop artists they'd never listen to with the windows down. Yet they wouldn't even crack a smile when we invited them to suit up in Fubu and take a ride down the Sunset Strip.

The way the 911 range unfolds with each generation has become as predictable as Mission: Impossible III. First comes the "base" Carrera and Carrera S; then the AWD Carrera 4; Cabriolet versions of those; followed by the hard-core GT3; then the Turbo; maybe a Targa; and finally the loony GT2. It's all completed just in time to start the cycle all over again with the next-generation 911.

At the risk of alienating my Inside Line colleagues, my best friends in automotive journalism, Jerry Seinfeld, and the whole of Porsche's PR machine, I have a confession to make: I've never thought much of the Boxster.

"That's what I love about L.A. — the theater of it all."

This was my wife's response after I called her from Rodeo Drive while behind the wheel of a Balloon White 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. And don't ask us how Lamborghini came up with "Balloon White." We could have gone with "Pearl White" or "Acropolis White." Heck, even "Miami Vice White" would have worked for us.

Ten years ago an inexpensive, comfortable, well-built car like the 2007 Toyota Yaris would have been a slam dunk. In fact, it was a slam dunk. It was called the Corolla and it was one of the best-selling compact sedans of its time.

Golden rays of California sun twinkle through the palms, and play atop smooth black pavement along the ocean side as the day comes to an end. Two surfer gals still in their bikinis and waist wraps nap in the backseat while their beaus exchange a fulfilled nod to each other as they crank up the music.

Normally, coupes are exercises in vanity: all fluff and no substance. Ego-trumping sensibility. Liberace bitch-slapping Alan Greenspan. No one knows this better than BMW, which has been in the 3 Series game since Gerald Ford was cracking his knuckles in the Oval Office. It's getting pretty good at the game, as evidenced by the outstanding latest version of the 3 Series, which debuted as a 2006 model in "E90" sedan form only. As in previous generations, the coupe version is released just when the panting over the sedan has subsided.

For roughly 40 nights a year, a small patch of blacktop in Downtown Los Angeles becomes the most sought after real estate in Southern California. It's a parking lot across the street from the Staples Center, home of the L.A. Lakers NBA team, and unless you're a season ticket holder or Kobe Bryant's mother you're not getting in. Or so we thought.